Stadium Project
The project for the new Juventus stadium was presented to the town council last night. Conceived by the Gau and Shesa studios, the arena has been designed for usage throughout the week, and not just on match days. The existing Delle Alpi structures to be maintained are those below a height of 18 metres, that is the foundation installation, while everything visible to the public will be brand new, with the exception of the pillars positioned around the two curved ends which have become something of a symbol of the stadium.
This decision was taken for a number of reasons, among them rejuvenation of the surrounding area and consistency with the innovative structures built for the 2006 Winter Olympics, as well as the need to match the necessary criteria for hosting games at the 2012 European Championships, including the quarter finals, and compliance with the government’s bill on stadiums.
"A new stadium for a great Juve"
In an interview with Juventus Channel recorded at the end of Monday’s board meeting, Giovanni Cobolli Gigli spoke at length about the stadium project, a subject which is more pertinent than ever in light of the debate following the events in Catania. “Juventus already had plans to renovate the Delle Alpi and when the new board came in, we reassessed the project with the Italian bid for the 2012 European Championships - and consequently the city of Turin - in mind. We decided to go for an innovative stadium project providing joie de vivre and a safe environment for families and commercial activities which will see it being used up to seven days a week”.
This will be a new Delle Alpi, taking the place of the existing structure built for the 1990 World Cup. It’s an ambitious project and another step forward for Juventus in their bid to return to the very highest levels: “Having navigated our way through troubled waters –the chairman continued – we’re now on the right track to returning to Serie A in the very near future. Our development project plans for Juventus to be competitive again in no time at all, first in Italy and then in Europe, and the stadium is a fundamental part of this. People need to rediscover the joy of going to the stadium, because there’s nothing like the emotion of a live game”.
Rediscovering the joy of going to the stadium is even more important in the days following the tragedy in Catania, an event which has cast doubt over Italy being awarded the 2012 European Championships. Cobolli Gigli still believes in the image of this country: “Of course we haven’t given a great account of ourselves and our ability to organise stadiums and sporting events. I support the call for urgent changes to be made to increase the quality of life in Italian stadiums and I believe it would be wrong to miss out on this opportunity to show Europe and the world just what Italy is capable of”.